What is the NIFC?

NATO's Intelligence Fusion Centre (NIFC) is a military led, U.S.-sponsored MOU organisation chartered by NATO's Military Committee. Located in the United Kingdom, the NATO IFC became fully operational in December 2007. The NIFC comprises over 200 multinational military and civilian intelligence and support professionals from 26 of 28 NATO nations and one North Atlantic Council (NAC) approved non-NATO nation. The NIFC is directed by the Military Committee to significantly contribute to, but not replace, NATO Allied Command Operations (ACO) key intelligence activities. The NIFC remains outside national chains of command and NATO's permanent and crisis manning structures. The NATO IFC falls under the operational command of SACEUR through his Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Intelligence at SHAPE.

Mission

Support Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and Allied Command Operations (ACO) by providing intelligence to warn of potential crisis and to support the planning and execution of NATO operations; to include direct intelligence support to NATO Special Operations Forces.

Commander's Vision

A professional, adaptable, technologically competent and operationally focused intelligence organisation, delivering timely, relevant products to enhance NATO's situational awareness and operational effectiveness. All source intelligence fusion is underpinned by our commitment to training and professional development to maintain the highest standards of analytic tradecraft. Collaboration and innovation is the hallmark of this diverse, experienced multinational workforce for which teamwork is second nature.

Our Role

NATO's IFC was created to facilitate the sharing and fusion of intelligence, contribute to filling intelligence gaps within ACO, and to support the planning and execution of current operations. Whether forward deployed or providing reach-back for deployed NATO forces, NIFC analysts collaborate with a wide range of partners to produce intelligence assessments to enhance NATO's situational awareness. The NIFC is manned 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and supports NATO operations across three continents.

The NATO IFC has an experienced, culturally diverse workforce who are able to support decision making for senior leaders through well informed, insightful analysis. The NIFC provides a unique environment where participating nations join forces to fuse intelligence for the common good of the Alliance and in direct support of NATO operations. Additionally, many of NIFC's assessments have been made available to military planners from the European Union and NATO's Partnership for Peace.

The NATO IFC strives to encourage analytic collaboration to the maximum extent possible. Working directly with national analytic centres, academia, think tanks and relevant international and private organisations, the NIFC aims to develop a deep understanding of key intelligence issues that affect NATO on a day to day basis. The NIFC uses both classified and the best open source information available to give NATO forces the most accurate and timely intelligence support available.

NIFC History

The NATO IFC was conceived by General James L. Jones USMC, (SACEUR Jan 2003 – Dec 2006) in November 2004. He proposed that the U.S. sponsor the organisation as the Framework Nation. General Jones received approval by the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to negotiate the NATO IFC Memorandum of Understanding in 2005. The MOU was approved by NATO nation signatories on 5 October 2006 and the NAC activated the NIFC as a NATO Military Body with International Military Headquarters Status on 18 October 2006. The NATO IFC achieved full operational capability (FOC) in December 2007. The organisation's purpose was to provide an objective and robust intelligence organisation to augment and fill potential gaps in ACO's intelligence support to NATO operational and strategic requirements for out-of-area operations, (e.g. NATO operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Gulf of Aden, and later Libya) and NATO Response Force (NRF) operations.

The NATO IFC was established in the United Kingdom with the U.S. as the framework nation.